Many #iPhone7 users are reporting screen troubles following an iOS update. While there’s no way for us to know if these are all caused by the latest iOS update (iOS 11.3.1), there are some scenarios that the problem may also be due to other circumstances. If you have an iPhone 7 with a black screen or flickering screen issue, continue reading.

If you are looking for solutions to your own #iOS issue, you can contact us by using the link provided at the bottom of this page. When describing your issue, please be as detailed as possible so we can easily pinpoint a relevant solution. If you can, kindly include the exact error messages you are getting to give us an idea where to start. If you have already tried some troubleshooting steps before emailing us, make sure to mention them so we can skip them in our answers.

Good day! My iphone 7 Plus after finishing the restoring and updating of the OS through itunes, the power gets back but a few minutes after the screen turn black but the power is still there, the home button can be touched as well and SIRI is activated, siri is the one saying of the things I am doing or the things i have been touched while the screen is black. so what should I do? — Jakejordan18

Solution: Hi Jakejordan18. Your iPhone 7 is not totally dead so there’s a chance you’ll still be able to fix it on your end. It may have become unresponsive or the system may have frozen. To fix it, you need to try doing a forced restart first. Here’s how:

Press and quickly release the Volume Up button.

Press and quickly release the Volume Down button.

Then, press and hold the Side button until you see the Apple logo.

Run your iPhone 7 on DFU Mode

If the above steps won’t fix the issue, the next good thing that you can do is to perform a software restore via DFU Mode. This procedure will wipe the device and restore the software to its defaults. To work, this one will need a computer with iTunes installed. If you don’t have a computer, you can visit an Apple store so they can perform this troubleshooting step for you.

On your computer, make sure that you have latest iTunes installed.

Open iTunes.

Connect your iPhone 7 to your computer using a good lightning cable.

Then, press and hold the Side and Volume Down buttons at the same time. Keep holding them until you see the recovery-mode screen.

Make sure not to release the buttons when you see the Apple logo. Keep holding until you see the recovery mode screen.

When you get the option to restore or update, choose Update. iTunes will try to reinstall iOS without erasing your data.

Verify proximity sensor is working

In some rare cases, an iPhone’s screen appears to dim or become black because of a faulty proximity sensor. This sensor is located at the top part of the phone. It’s main use is to detect your face during calls. If it senses that your face is near the screen, just like when you’re holding the device while you’re in a call, the screen turns off to prevent unwanted touchscreen touches. If the sensor does not work properly, it may send erratic signals to the operating system causing it to turn off the screen even if you’re not in a call or holding the device near your face.

To check if you have a proximity sensor issue:

Hold down the Home and on/off buttons to restart the phone.

When it restarts, the screen should be working.

Tap the Settings app.

Tap General.

Tap Reset.

Tap Reset All Settings. This erases all your preferences and settings on the iPhone, but won’t delete your data.

Get professional help

If the screen remains black still at this point, the problem must have something to do with the hardware. Or, there may be a coding issue with iOS that you can’t fix. In this case, you need to bring the device to Apple so they can repair or replace it for you.

If your iPhone 7 is no longer in warranty, any repair or replacement by Apple will cost you probably a minimum of $200. Make sure to read the documentation about your phone’s warranty first so you need not waste time and effort in going to Apple if you don’t want to pay.

Hello. I was wondering if y’all could help me with my own flickering screen. Whenever my iPhone is turned in landscape mode, it will flicker back and forth from normal to black. If I position the phone right of tap it in the right place it temporarily fixes the problem, but then it goes back to Black in a few seconds. I have not dropped my phone recently, but I have just updated to the newest iOS (11.3) just a couple days ago. Any comments on the situation would be helpful! Thank you very much! — Sarah Jankowiak

Solution: Hi Sarah. We don’t think we’ve heard of this issue before so there must be a unique variable in your phone that causes it to behave like this after an update. To fix it, the first thing that you want to do is to reset all its settings. This will ensure that all iOS settings are configured correctly. Here’s what you need to do:

From the Home screen, go to Settings>General>Reset.

Tap Reset All Settings.

If presented, enter the passcode.

Tap Reset All Settings to confirm.

If that will not help, a factory reset may be needed. This procedure will wipe user data so be sure to back your files up to iTunes or iCloud before you do it. Once you’re ready, here the steps to factory reset your iPhone 7:

Open Settings app.

Tap General.

Tap Reset.

Tap Erase All Content and Settings.

If prompted, enter your passcode.

Tap Erase iPhone.

Ideally, the bug should be fixed by now but if the issue remains after doing a factory reset, there must be an issue with the software or hardware that’s beyond your capability to fix. When it comes to iOS troubleshooting, there’s not much that users can do so, just like what we tell other users in this article, make sure that you contact Apple for support.

Problem #3: iPhone 7 screen remains black but still rings during call

Hi. My daughter has a iPhone 7 Plus and she was watching YouTube and all of a sudden the screen had lines and went black I have tried to reboot the phone and still no response I have called her phone and it rings from my phone but no response from her phone. She also had a update on Monday night witch I did for her and now the phone has a black screen and no response what should I do. — Sandra

Solution: Hi Sandra. If your daughter’s iPhone was not dropped, physically damaged, dropped, or exposed to water or liquid, the screen may have become unresponsive. Make sure to try the suggestions we have for others above and see if you resolve the issue with them. Because your daughter’s number is still active as you can call it and hear it ring, it means that the device is on and still communicating with your carrier. Our suggestions above should help you fix the problem. If the screen remains black though, you’ll have to contact Apple for support so they can repair it.

Problem #4: iPhone 7 screen cracked after a drop, won’t turn on

Good morning! A few weeks ago, I ever so slightly cracked my phone screen, but it still worked perfectly. This morning, it fell 3 feet off my bedside table and onto the floor. The crack did not get any worse, however the screen went black, and it will not respond to a re-set, or being turned off. No apple logo displays no matter what. At first, the phone displayed normal sounds (the charging sound when plugged in, the lock sound when I locked the black screen) and now nothing (but I think thats because I finally got it to turn off). The phone is a US phone, but I currently live down in the West Indies with it, and cannot access any type of Apple Store. What would you recommend? Thank you! — Ellie Ellie Demmons

Solution: Hi Ellie. If your iPhone has suffered hardware damage after it was dropped and it led to motherboard or battery failure, you have no choice but to find a way to have it repaired. There’s no software trick to do for a physically broken iPhone.

If, however, there was no damage at all, except the cracked screen, try charging the phone for at least an hour before turning it back on. Once it powers back on, as indicated by a chirp when turning it on, but the screen remains black, you’ll still need to contact Apple or send it to an independent service center. The drop may have damaged the screen and it may need replacement.

Engage with us

If you happen to have a problem with your own iPhone, let us know about it and we will do our best to post them and their solutions in our upcoming articles. You can use this link to contact us for assistance. We can’t guarantee an answer to every question but rest assured that we will exhaust everything on our end to help you.

Be as detailed as possible when describing your problem to help us diagnose your issue easily. If you can include error messages, popups, attempted troubleshooting steps, and circumstances leading to the problem, that would be very helpful.

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